Apparatus for molding soap



APPLICATION FILED HIRE 5; i920.

Patented Sept. 27, 1921,

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

c. 0. PHILLIPS.

APPARATUS FOR MOLDING SOAP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, I920.

Patented Sept. 211m 4 SHEITS-SHEET 2.

Paoentedsept. 27, 1921. f

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

vwmtoz Qex C. O. PHILLIPS.

APPARATUS FOR MOLDING SOAP.

.APPLICATIQN man JUNE 5; 1920.

w x m -n b M a Am WNW c v A l w Q a Q Y Q M P \Q Q MH mg UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

CECIL O. PHILLIPS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., 'ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN COTTONOIL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR MOLDING SOAP.

Application filedJune 5,

paratus for molding and cooling molten.

soap in a rapid and eflicient manner.

In a 'copending application 'Serial No. 386,912, filed June 5, 1920,executed concurrently herewith, a method of molding and cooling soap hasbeen described in which the soap while still molten is delivered intomolds of approximately the shape of the desired cake and cooled thereinby indirect and direct contact with cold brine. The partially cooledcakes of soap are then discharged from the molds and are directlysubjected to cold brine to further chill the cakes and substantiallycomplete the hardening of the soap. The soap cakes are then washed withfresh water to free the outer surface from brine. In the applicationreferred to, an apparatus is illustrated and described in which themolds are arranged on the periphery of a rotating drum and certainaccessory devices are provided for removing the soap from the molds.

The improved apparatus which forms the subject-matter of the presentinvention is adapted for use in applying the method described in theaforesaid application. and is differentiated from the apparatusdisclosed in that application by the arrangement of the molds on arotating table whereby the cakes of soap are caused to travel first inindirect-contact with cold brine, and subsequently in direct contactwith brine sprayed thereon. Suitable means are provided to deliver thehardened cakes of soap from the molds and to subsequently subject thecakes to further hardening by contact with cold brine, after which thecakes are washed with water to remove the brine. The apparatus describedin the present application presents numerous features of novelty,particularly as it is distinguished from the rotary drum apparatusdescribed in the application Specification of Letters Patent. PatentedSept. 27', 1921.

1920. Serial No. 386,913.

previously referred to, and while'the structure is described in more orless complete detail, in order that it may be clearly under stood, it isobvious than many changes may be made in the details of construction andarrangement of the parts within the scope of the invention.

The various objects and advantages of the invention will be more clearlyapparent and as it. is better understood by reference to the followingspecifications and accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the rotating table with themolds thereon;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1; a

Fig. 4. is a section on the line 4-4: of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1; i Fig. 6 is adevelopment in elevation of the rotar table and the accessories thereto;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the auxiliary hardening and washing tanks; and

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the structure illustrated in Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawing, 5 indicates an annular tank supported by anglebraces 6. Beneath the tank 5 a tank 7 is provided to receiveany'overflow from the tank 5, which may be delivered to a suitable wastepipe. At the axis of the tank 5 a shaft 8 is mounted in a step bearing9, and supports spokes 10, extending radially therefrom, two rings 11connected by braces 12 between each series of molds are supported on andsurround theispokes 10. The shaft 8 is driven through the worm wheel 13from a suitable source of power through a worm 14 and worm shaft 14'carrying a pulley 15 and the table is accordingly rotated at the speedbest adapted to the accomplishment of the desired object. In general,thisobject is the feeding of molten soap to molds'15, a plurality ofwhich are arranged between the rings 11, as the molds pass beneath asoap container 16 which may have a steam jacket 16 to maintain the soapin a liquid condition. Thereafter the molds are caused to travel beneatha pan 17 which may be supplied with cold brine from a header 18connected by a pipe 19 to a source of cold .direct contact with thebrine which would damage the soap in this condition. As soon, however,as the surface of the soap has been chilled sufliciently to form-ashell, the soap may be further cooled by the direct application ofsprays of brine fromheaders 20 supplied through a pi e 21 with coldbrine from a source thereo This application of the brine spray iscontinued for a suflicient period to make the soap cake suf-. ficientlyhard to permit its removal from the mold, the cooling being facilltatedby the spraying of brine against the underside of the molds fromsuitable headers 22, supplied with cold brine from a source thereof.

The molds 15 are provided with movable pistons 23 supported on stems 24which are guided in spiders 25 secured to the lower edges of the moldsand the stems 24 are connected to bars 26 having cam rollers 26 mountedat each end thereof. These rollers travel on cam tracks 27 and duringthe initial cooling as the molds pass beneath the pan 17, the cam tracksmay be slightly ele-- vated so that the pistons 23 are gradually forcedupwardly to take up'the shrinkage of the soap. During the passage of themolds 15 beneath the brine sprays, the pistons remain stationary andcontinue in the position assumed until the soap cakes have sufficientlyhardened when the molds reach the point of discharge. Here the camtracks-27 are elevated to force the pistons 23, upwardly and the cakesof soap are removed from the table in the manner hereinafter described.The pistons 23 are then raised slightly above the surrounding surface bythe cam tracks 27 and in this position are brushed and are thereafterlowered slightly by the cam tracks 29 to a-position in which they areflush with the surrounding surface before they pass beneath the soapcontainer 16 where they are positively retracted by an auxiliary camtrack 29. The cam track 27 27 and 29 29 are preferably adjustablethroughout their length to permit the desired amount of travel of thepistons 23; Thus the thickness of the soap cakes may be varied at willand the apparatus may be adjusted to take care of the shrinkage of thesoap during cooling.

With this general understanding of the function and arrangement of theapparatus, the details will be more clearly understood. Thus the soapcontainer 16 for the molten soap is provided with a plurality of feedingworms 30 arranged on shafts 31-within the cylinders 32. The shafts 31are supported in bearings 33 and are provided with bevel pinions 34meshing with corresponding gears 35 on the transverse shaft 36, which issupported in bearings 37 in a frame 37 mounted on the soap container 16.The shaft 36 is actuated through a pawl and ratchet feed 38 which is inturn operated by a crank 38 on a shaft 39 having a bevel pinion 40,which meshes with the corresponding gear 41 which in turn is driventhrough the gears 42'- by the gears 41' on t e worm shaft 14. As the.table rotates under the actuation of the shaft 8 and the molds 15 aremoved beneath the soap container 16, the liquid soap is forced into themolds and is charged therein by the feeding worms 30 while the molds arepassing beneath the soap container. The molds travel thence, aspreviously described beneath the pan 17 and the soap is subjected toindirect, cooling of the cold brine in the tray and thereafter to thedirect action of the brine which is sprayed onto the molds.

As the molds successively reach the dislifted as previously describedand further progress of the soap cakes is arrested by contact with acontinuously moving belt 42 which is backed by a board 43 to preventdistortion of the belt. At the same time, the soap cakes are engaged'byone of the flights 44 on a belt 44 which removes the soap cakes from thepistons onto the incline 45 and they are thus delivered to a travelingbelt conveyer 46. The belt 44 is actuated through bevel gears 47, 48, 49and shaft 50, which are in turn actuated through bevel gears 51 from theworm shaft 14 and the belt 44 is timed to bring one of the flights 44'into contact with the cakes of soap as the latter are released from themolds. The belt 42 is actuated through a shaft 55, gears 56 and 57, ashaft 58 and bevel gears 59, one of which is arranged on the shaft 60which supports the belt 44. The purpose of the belt 42 is to preventdistortion of the soap cakes as the latter are moved from the table, thebelt 42 furnishing a surface which is in unison with the belt 44 whichremoves the cakes.

As previously stated, the pistons 23 of the molds remain in elevatedposition after the soap cakes are moved from the table and are subjectedto a brush 28. Any suitable form of brush may be employed, butpreferably the brush is mounted on a belt 62 supported by pulleys 63which may be actuated through any suitable driving mechanism, forexample, through a pulley 64. If desired, the pistons 23 of the moldsmay be elevated slightly above the table during the brushing operationto insure that they are thoroughly cleaned and prepared for thereception of further quantities of liquid soap.

The belt conveyer 46 is supported upon a series of idler pulleys 65 andpasses through a pair of tanks 66 and 67 in the first of which asufficient supply of coldbrine is maintained to nearly submerge thecakes of soap on the belt conveyer 46. The second tank 67 is suppliedwith fresh water to wash the brine from the hardenedsoap. The belt tanks66 and 67 may be of suitable length to insure accomplishment of thedesired object which isthe final cooling of the soap by the cold brineandthe washing of the brine from the soap. After passing the tank 67 thesoap maybe removed from the belt conveyer 46 and is ready for furthertreatment preparatory to shipment.

Tn the operation of the apparatus as hereinbefore described, the moltensoap from the crutchers and compounded with the usual ingredients isintroduced into the soap container l6 and is maintained therein by thesteam jacket at the proper temperature. The

molds on their support are slowly and contin'ually advanced insuccession to a position beneath the soap container and are thussuccessively filled with molten soap. The pistons in each mold are heldflush with the surrounding surface of the mold sections until the moldsare beneath the soap container. The pistons are then retracted in themanner previously described and the soapenters the molds by gravity andis subse-' quently charged therein by the action of the feeding worms.The intermittent action of the worms is so timed that thesoap is forceddownwardly into the molds as the latter pass beneath the worms. Theaction results in the filling of the molds with molten soap and asubstantial avoidance of the occlusion or inclusion of air bubbles orair pockets in the molds.

As the filled molds advance beyond the soa container the soap issubjected to the indirect coolin action of the cold brine in the pan 1'?an simultaneously to the action of cold brine sprayed directly onto theundersides of the molds. The soap is thus given a preliminary chill sothat the outer surface of the cakes becomes hardened. The molds passthence from beneath the pan 1'? and cold brine is sprayed directly uponthe upper surface of the cakes, while the brine spray continues to actupon the undersides of the molds. The resulting action is a rapid andefiicient cooling and hardening of the soap cakes which continues asthe. molds advance to the discharge point.

During the preliminary cooling beneath the pan 17 an appreciableshrinkage of the soap occurs and this is compensated for by thearrangement of the cam tracks 27 which slightly elevate the pistonsduring this period of the travel. The soap in the molds is compactedsufficiently to take care of the shrinkage so that the soap in the moldsis of symmetrical form. After the period of shrinkage the pistons remainstationary throughout the travel of the molds until the discharge pointis reached. By this time the soap has become sufficiently hardened topermit removal from the molds and the pistons are successively elevatedto bring their upper surface into the plane of the surrounding surface,so that the cakes may be removed by the mechanism previously de scribed.The cakes are prevented from advancement farther by the belt 42 and aredischarged on to the conveyer 46 which delivers them to the aftercooling brine tank.

In the lattertank the soap is slowly ad-' vanced and is exposed to thedirect action of the cold brine to completely harden the soap. If,however, the soap so removed from the brine tank were still covered withbrine, it would present a chalky appearance when dried and would beunsuitable for sale because of its appearance. Accordingly the soapafter cooling in the brine tank is delivered by the conveyer 46 to thewashing tank where it is subjected to the action of fresh water whichremoves the traces of brine, the soap being delivered from the washintank entirely free from any objectiona le amount of brine. The soap maythen be dried and pressed and is ready for the market. 1 I

The thickness of the cakes of soap can be readily varied withoutmodifying the structure of the apparatus by simply adjusting the camtracks to maintain the pistons in the desired position. By raising orlowering the cam tracks, a thinner or thicker cake can be produced atwill. It is evidenced, moreover, that the molds may be of differentsizes and shapes, for example, such that the resulting cake may be oval,round or square as desired.

Inasmuch as certain materials are corroded by the brine, the apparatusshould be constructed of material which is not acted upon by brine or ifthe materials are of such a character as to be readily corroded, theapparatus should be enameled or otherwise protected. The parts of theapparatus which are immersed in the brine may thus be coated with enamelor constructed of metal alloys which are unaffected by brine. Soaps ofdifferent character and compositions may be molded and cooled in theapparatus and ac cording to the method which it is designed to carryout. The soap may thus be floating or non-floating soap of high purityor it may be a laundry or other soap containing other detergentingredients admixed therewith. The soap, prior to molding and cooling,is subjected to the usual preliminary treatments Well understood in theart and is brought to the soap container 16 at a temperature in theneighborhood of 150 to 175 F. and is charged into the molds atapproximatelythe same temperature. While the apparatus as illustratedand described is a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to beunderstood that the invention rehends numerous changes in the detailswhich 4 soap comprising a plurality of molds, means for moving the moldsabout a vertical axis, means for filling the molds with molten soap andmeans for conveying the molds in indlrect contact with a coolin liquid.

2. An apparatus for mo lding and cooling soap comprlsing a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds above a fixed axis, means for fillingthe molds with molten soap, means for conveying the molds in indirectcontact with a cooling liquid and means for subsequently spraying thesoap in the molds with the cooling liquid.

3. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for movin the molds above a fixed axis, means for fillingthe molds with molten soap, means for conveying the molds in indirectcontact with a cooling liquid, means for subsequently spraying the soapin the molds with the cooling liquid, and means for ejecting the soapfrom the molds.

4. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds about a vertical axis and means forsubjecting the soap in the molds to the indirect action of a body ofcooling liquid, and means for afterward directly spraying the soap inthe molds with the cooling liquid.

5. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds about a vertical axis, means forsubjecting the soap in the molds to the action of-a body of coolingliquid, the soap being protected from direct contact with the liquidduring the initial period of its travel, and independent means forejecting the soap from the molds.

6. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds about a fixed axis, means for fillingthe molds with molten soap, means for conveying the molds in indirectcontact with a' cooling liquid, means for subsequently spraying the soapin the molds with the cooling liquid, means for ejecting the soap fromthe molds, and supplemental means for cooling and hardening the soap.

7. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds about a fixed axis, means for fillingthe molds with molten soap, means for conveying the molds in indirectcontact with a cooling liquid, means for subsequently spraying the soapin the molds with the cooling liquid, means for ejecting the soap fromthe molds, and supplemental means for cooling by direct contag-Lwith acooling liquid and for subsequently washing the soap.

8. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprlsing a plurality ofmolds, cooling means above the molds and adapted to absorb heat fromthesoap therein, means for moving the molds about a vertical axis, eachmold having a piston, and operating means therefor, and means forestablishing the position of the pistons in the molds.

9. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, cooling means associated with the molds and adapted to absorbheat from the soap therein, means for moving the molds about a verticalaxis, each mold having a piston and operating means therefor, means forestablishing the position of the pistons in the molds, said means beingadjustable to permit variation of the thickness of the cakes of soap.

10. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds about a vertical axis, each moldhaving a piston, and operating means therefor, means for establishingthe position of the istons in the molds, and means ,for successivelyfilling the molds with molten soap and subsequently cooling the soaptherein.

11. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds about a vertical axis, each moldhaving a piston, and operating means therefor, means for establishingthe position of the pistons in the molds, means for successivel fillingthe molds with molten soaps and S11 sequently cooling the soap therein,and means for ejecting the cooled soap.

12. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds about a vertical axis, each moldhaving a piston, and operating means therefor, means for establishingthe position of the pistons in the molds, means for successively fillingthe molds with molten soap and means for subjecting the soap to theaction of a cooling liquid.

13. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds about a vertical axis, each moldhaving a piston, and operating means therefor, means for establishingthe position of the pistons in the molds, means for successively fillingthe molds with molten soap, means for subjecting the soap to the actionof a cooling liquid, the soap being protected from the liquid during.the initial period of its travel.

- 14. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a pluralityof molds, means. for moving the molds about a vertical axis, each moldhaving a piston, and operating means therefor, means for establishingthe position ofthe istons in the molds, means for successively fillingthe molds with molten soap, means for subjecting the soap to the actionof a cooling liquid and means for ejectin the cooled soap. A

15. n apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds about a vertical axis, each moldhaving a piston, and operating means therefor, means for establishingthe position of the pistons in the molds,

I means for successively filling the molds with molten soap, means forsubjecting the soap to the action of a cooling liquid, means forejecting the cooled soap, and supplemental mean for further cooling andhardening the soap. j

16. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds about a fixed axis, means forsuccessively filling the molds with molten soap, a pan filled withcooling liquid arranged so that the bottom is in close proximity to thesoap in the molds during the initial period of travel of the filledmolds and means for spraying the under sides of the molds with thecooling liquid.

17. An apparatus for molding and coolarranged so that the bottom is inclose proximity to thesoap in the molds during the initial period oftravel of the filled molds,

means for spraying the under sides of the molds with the cooling liquid,means for spraying the soap in the molds with the cooling liquid afterthe initial period of travel thereof, and means for discharging the soapfrom the molds.

19. An apparatus for molding and cooling soap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the ,molds about a fixed axis, means forsuccessively filling the molds with molten soap, a pan filled withcooling liquid arranged so that the bottom is in close proximity to thesoap in the molds during the initial period of travel of the filledmolds, means for sprayingthe under sides of the molds with the coolingliquid, means for spraying the soap in the molds with the cooling liquidafter the initial period of travel thereof, means for discharging thesoap from the molds, and supplemental means for cooling and hardeningthe soap after its discharge from the molds.

20. An apparatus for molding and coolingsoap comprising a plurality ofmolds, means for moving the molds above a fixed axis, means for fillingthe molds with molten soap, means for conveying the molds in indirectcontact with a cooling liquid, means for subsequently spraying the soapin the molds with the cooling liquid, means for ejecting the soap fromthe molds, and means for cleaning the molds preparatory to receiving'afresh charge of molten soap.

In testimony'whereof I aflix m si nature.

a v CECIL O. PI-f IL IPS.

